Apparatus for measuring gas release of ceramic nuclear fuel materials at high temperatures

Abstract

When precipitation occurs under the conditions described above, a crystalline,green precipitate (A) is obtained (6,7). This precipitate can be dehydrated to a cream-colored compound in a vacuum desiccator over P205 and KOH. In air, the dehydrated compound rapidly regains its green color. Thermogravimetric analysis of (A) in air indicated that it lost weight continually to circa 100 °C and showed no further weight change to 500 °C. Elementary analysis indicated 53.5% uranium, 14.8% phosphorus, and a weight loss upon drying of 8.2%. The X-ray powder pattern of compound (A) is similar to powder pattern of the material formed by the reaction of aqueous UC14 and H3P03. Compound A thus appears to be uranium(IV) phosphite, U(HP03)2 • 2H20, which contains 54.8% uranium, 14.3% phosphorus, and 8.3% water.The use of phosphorus compounds to precipitate uranium (6) V.